This invention relates to a stable emulsion system that can be used to deliver flavor, color or lipids in a cooked food product and/or to reduce caloric density of food products.
Food flavoring and coloring agents and lipids are added to foods directly or as macro emulsions, i.e. an oil-in-water or water-in-oil emulsion. These emulsions are generally not stable under cooking conditions, thus releasing the food additive component to be absorbed by or dissolved in the protein, fat or water present in the food.
Additionally, the addition of surface active or highly ionic additives affect the oil-water interfaces and can destabilize these macro emulsions. The instability of the emulsions under gravitational, thermal and additive conditions affects the flavor and color of the product.
Many flavor and color precursors develop the flavor or color at the oil/water interface. When the emulsion is destablized, the surface area of the interface is greatly reduced, thus affecting the flavor or color development. In addition, flavor volatiles are lost.
A simple system which could deliver flavor effectively and allow for color development under cooking conditions would be advantageous. If this system would also allow the incorporation of less lipids, in particular triglycerides, yet have the same "fat perception" in the product, a low calorie product having improved gustatory impression could be produced.
It is an object of the present invention to form an emulsifier system which is thermally and gravitationally stable under cooking conditions.
It is a further object of the present invention to produce a hydrated emulsifier system which allows flavor or color precursors to develop in microwave cooking of foods where a limited water situation is a prerequisite for the reactions to occur.
An additional object of this invention is the use of a hydrated emulsifier system to deliver less fat in a food product without affecting the flavor or "fat perception" of the product.
These and other objects will become evident in the detailed description which follows.